


memories that remain

by Gal_tic



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Geologist!Dan Howell, Greek!Dan Howell, Journalist!Phil Lester, M/M, Slow Burn Dan Howell/Phil Lester, they need to communicate really
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-15 09:38:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15410079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gal_tic/pseuds/Gal_tic
Summary: Dan and Phil meet on a beach in Greece at the age of seventeen. Two years later when they are nineteen, their paths are separated as they follow their individual dreams.The course of true love never did run smooth...





	memories that remain

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there!
> 
> After how well received my one-shot for Phandom Fic Fests was received ('memories that remain,' which is now titled 'our last summer') I decided to run wild with my idea and write a multi-chaptered fic.
> 
> This fic will be updated every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. 
> 
> I'm so excited to share this story with you all, and I hope that you enjoy :) 
> 
> Please leave a kudos and comment if you enjoyed!

On a late August night, Phil made his way down to the beach. It was the final night that he and his family, would be spending at their Greek beach house. Now nineteen years of age, Phil knew that next year, there was very little chance that he would be able to make it up to the creaky, lemon yellow cottage that he had known inside and out since he was a child. 

Along with that came another loss that he wasn’t prepared deal with. 

After meeting Dan Howell on his seventeenth birthday, his life had never been the same. Dan was a blazing ball of energy, a ray of sunshine that had crashed into his life and brought him out of his British and naturally reserved nature. 

Every summer since had been spent in Dan’s company, playing in the waves, hiking, sailing, and making lasting memories. Being at home every semester after having such an incredible summer had been difficult. No one else was like Dan, and Phil had never been able to be as open with anyone else but him.

However, as with any childhood fling, things had to end. There were only so many summers, and a picture of young love captured in smiles and soft kisses away from prying eyes could not last beyond the final days of the summer. 

Arriving at their usual spot, Phil plopped down onto the sand, sighing as he looked out over the water. The thought of not being back at this place the following year was terrifying - but things had to change. They were men now, not the carefree teenagers that they had been before. 

Turning his head as he heard a noise, Phil smiled as he saw Dan approaching him, wearing a simple light cotton shirt and plain shorts. Dan had changed more, Phil thought, than he had over the course of the few years that they had known each other. 

Where Dan’s shoulders had broadened, his face slimmed, and his eyes had become even kinder, Phil had just gotten ganglier. His mother often scoffed at this, announcing that he needed to eat more, and bulk up a bit. He couldn’t help it, however. ‘It’s part of being a Lester, Dear.’ His father would reply to his mother, glancing up at her from over his morning newspaper. 

He couldn’t help but admire the way that Dan carried himself now, with a quiet confidence that he didn't quite feel yet. Dan had always known who he was - and what he was meant to do. That’s how Phil had always seen him, anyway. 

“Last night, huh?” Dan quipped, sitting down beside him before pressing a kiss to Phil’s cheek. “You’re off to the big city.” He added, eyes studying Phil’s face for a reaction. 

“Big for you, maybe.” Phil chuckled, resting his head down onto Dan’s shoulder before pressing his nose to Dan’s neck. “I don’t want to leave, you know. I’d stay if I could.”

There was a pause before Dan answered, taking his time. 

“I know. One of us has to go. You can’t put your life on hold to stay here.”

Phil frowned, raising his head to look at him better. 

“It wouldn’t be putting my life on hold...I just...you know it has been my dream to study journalism. Write about topics that inspire me, and...get the full story on issues.” He whispered, voice small. 

“And that’s your right to choose. You can’t stay here for me, and I...can’t leave here for you. I have to learn from my parents, and build upon their research.” Dan replied calmly, lips pursed as he looked straight ahead. 

“I’ll come back.” Phil murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to his jaw. “I’m not abandoning you. Us. We just...have to separate to seek out our own paths right now. This can’t be the end…”

Turning his head to look at him, the smallest of smiles crossed Dan’s face.

“Exactly. Just...following our own paths for now, yeah?” He answered, taking Phil’s hand and squeezing it gently.

A smile crossing his own face, Phil looked into Dan’s eyes, not seeing any glimmer of worry in them. 

“Nothing will change.” he whispered, incredibly sure of the statement. 

 

When boarding the flight home, the next day, Phil pressed a light kiss to Dan’s lips before letting go of his hand, walking backward slowly. 

“See you on the other side.” He spoke, raising an eyebrow at Dan teasingly before turning his back, and following after his family. 

How could anything change between him and Dan? University would be university, he would obtain his degree, and join Dan once more in Greece. It could be that simple. 

_Could_ being the important word. Who ended up with their first love? 

Clutching the letter Dan had written for him to open up on the plane in his hand, Phil knew that there was no question in his and Dan’s loyalty to each other. 

However, upon opening the letter on the plane, he couldn’t believe his eyes. 

The word _Fiancee_ stood out on the page like an ink splatter. 

_How could he be so blind?_

**Author's Note:**

> Twitter: @Galactic_Howell  
> Tumblr: @galhowell


End file.
